Monday Apple Rumors: iPhone 5 to Have Worldwide 4G LTE

New smartphones from Samsung also have global 4G connectivity

Global Speed: The next-generation iPhone, widely expected to be unveiled at an Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) media event on Wednesday, will feature worldwide 4G LTE connectivity, TheWall Street Journal notes. The new iPhone, reportedly called the iPhone 5, will be compatible with LTE networks in Asia, North America and Europe. However, until negotiations with local carriers are complete, that functionality may not be available right away. The newest smartphones from rival Samsung already have global LTE capability, making it likely that Apple will have to offer the same connectivity if it wishes to capture international business travelers.

Retina Expands: Apple’s manufacturing partners are now shipping 13-inch MacBook Pros and upgraded iMac desktops featuring Retina displays, DigiTimes says. The new MacBook Pros are set to launch this month or next. The adoption of the super-high-resolution displays for the MacBook Pro is not a surprise. However, other reports have said that Apple would not launch an updated iMac line with Retina displays. According to the new report, manufacturing problems with the “high-end” iMac model had caused delays in the debut of three new iMac desktops. Other reports indicated that this referred to the 27-inch iMac and that, due to the problems stemming from production of the larger display panels, the 21.5-inch updated iMacs would be unveiled first, with the 27-inch model to launch later. No timetable for iMac launches was mentioned in the new report, but other sources say the new iMacs could launch in weeks.

Memory Costs: While the wholesale cost of flash memory chips has fallen 46% from the start of the year, consumers have yet to see any savings in mobile devices that use flash memory, The New York Times noted. RBC Capital Markets notes that the cost of 8 GB of flash memory dropped from $6.82 in January, to about $3.63 currently. Yet purchasers of Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) updated Kindle Fire tablets will pay between $50 and $70 for each 16 GB addition to their tablet’s memory, though that increase costs Amazon only $11.20. Buyers of Apple’s iPads will pay between $50 and $100 for each 16 GB increase in iPad memory. Those increases cost Apple about $6.40. A report from IHS iSuppli indicates that Apple derives a substantial portion of its iPad profits from the markup on flash memory storage.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.